Figure 1.--This portrait of a boy and his little sister is undated. We would guess that it was taken in the late 1890s. All we know is that it was taken in Rodgers, Arkansas. He wears a pin-on collar. It looks rather like a ruffled collar, but notice the lace edging. He could of as a younger boy wore the same lace collar with a kilt suit or Fauntleroy suit. This boy does not have a bow added, but many other boys wore these collars with a large floppy bow.

While there were many different types of lace there were only three basic types of lace collars. Please note that these are categories se have created based on the lace collars we have observed. We welcome reader comment or alternative categories. The first type was the pin-on lace collars. These were collars that were entirely separate from any other garment and just pinned on another garment, usually a jacket. These were very adaptable collars as they could be used again and again over a period of years. Often when a boy received his first adult-looking suit, he might wear a lace or ruffled collar with it for a few years. Large floppy bows were also often added. The second type of lace collar was the drape-around style. The collars were so large that they did not need to be pinned on. They werr normally quite large, cobering all or most of the shoulders. This type was most common for younger children. The third major lace collar type was the collar on fancy blouses which came already attached. These were less adaptable garments and could only be worn while the blouse was stillthe right size for the boy. The blouses often were made with ruffled rather than actual lace.

Pin-on Lace Collars

While there were many different types of lace there were only three basic types of lace collars. The first type was the pin-on lace collars. These were collars that were entirely separate from any other garment and just pinned on another garment, usually a jacket. These were very adaptable collars as they could be used again and again over a period of years. A boy might out grow jackets and other garements, but the pin-on lace collar could just be pinned on a new jacket. The portrait here of a boy and his little sister is undated (figure 1). We would guess that it was taken in the late 1890s. All we know is that it was taken in Rodgers, Arkansas. He wears a pin-on lace collar. He could of as a younger boy wore the same lace collar with a kilt suit or Fauntleroy suit. Often when a boy received his first adult-looking suit, he might wear a lace or ruffled collar with it for a few years. Large floppy bows were also often added. We use the term "pin-on". In fact we are not sure how they were attached. Pins are possible, but a few simple stitches may have also been used. A good example of an elegant pin-on lace collar is one worn by an English boy, Clayde Belton Wylde, in 1887. Another example is an American boy, Lloyd Lott. in 1889.

Drape-around Lace Collar

The second type of lace collar was the drape-around style. The collars were so large that they did not need to be pinned on. They were normally quite large, covering all or most of the shoulders. This type was most common for infants and younger children. A good example here is an American boy, Ralph Howard, about 1886. Some of the most elaborate lace we have noted are these drape-around styles. Many are so large that they go beyond the concept of a collar, bur for organizational purposes, this seems the best place to archive them.

Fancy Blouses

The third major lace collar type was the collar on fancy blouses which came already attached. These were less adaptable garments and could only be worn while the blouse was still the right size for the boy. Of course thrifty mothers might cut the lace off an reuse it. The blouses often were made with ruffled rather than actual lace. We see a great variety of these blouses in turn-of-the-century catalogs and sewing patterns. . This gets complicated because some large ruffled colars included some lace, often added as edging.

Complications

Often it is not possible or difficult to tell from a photograph what type of lace collae we are dealing with. Here the major problem is decidedig if a collar is actually sewn on to the blouse. This is fyrther complicated by the fact that many mothers did their own sewing. Some collars may have been sewn on with a few simple stitches, rather like pin-on lace collars. Here we will archive some lace collars we are not sure about. Perhaps reads will hace some insights.

Cape Style

We see some boys wearing really large lace collars, even some mostly younger boys with lace collars that extend to or even over the colors. We note some lace collars that are more like capes, extending not only over the shoulders and down the arms. We have only seen girls wearing these lace collars. Styles at the time were, however, extremely variable. Thuis we wouldn't want to suggest that no boy ever wore them, but we think they were mostly for dresses and worn by girls. We believe these wertr actually a separate garment and worn over dresses.

Created: January 2, 2004
Last updated: 1:37 AM 7/3/2009